Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Bring your awareness to your body,
Resting into the support from the ground beneath.
Notice your breath moving in and out,
Letting your awareness settle on the movement of your body as you breathe.
I now invite you to gently follow my instructions as best you can.
Bring to mind a person who loves you very much.
It could be someone from the past or the present,
Someone who is alive or who has passed away.
It could be a pet or a spiritual figure.
Imagine them sitting there with you now,
Holding you in their loving awareness,
Sending wishes for you to be happy,
Healthy and safe.
Allow their love to surround you for a few moments.
Let yourself sense their good wishes for your well-being.
Allow your body to be filled with warmth and love.
Now bring your awareness back to that person who loves you and send love back to them.
Allow yourself to repay the love that they showed you.
They also wish to be happy,
Healthy and safe.
Internally repeat the following statements as you hold this person in your awareness.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Now bring to mind someone who isn't close to you but who you see often,
Someone who you like and think of kindly.
This person,
Like you,
Wishes to have a happy life.
Now send warm wishes to this person.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Repeating this inside whilst keeping this person in mind.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Now bring to mind a person who you don't know very well,
Someone who you see occasionally,
Perhaps someone who you've never spoken to,
Like a person you see in the park,
In the street or at a shop.
Acknowledge that this person too wants to feel well and happy.
Extend your good wishes to this person.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Again repeating these wishes inside,
Directing them towards this person.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Now as much as is possible,
Try to get a sense of all living beings in the world,
Those close to you and those far away,
Noticing that they all desire to live happy,
Healthy lives.
Repeat those wishes to this broad group.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Now bring to mind someone who you find it hard to feel warm towards.
This could be someone you know in your life or someone you only know through the media.
Whoever comes to mind,
Imagine them now standing in front of you and acknowledge that they too want to live a life of happiness and ease.
If this feels too hard,
You may want to imagine a younger version of them,
Before things became difficult.
As you keep them in mind,
Repeat your kind wishes,
Allowing any difficult thoughts and feelings that come up in you to be present and accepted.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
May you be safe.
May you be well.
May you live with ease and happiness.
Now gently bring your awareness back to your body and the space around you.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
End of exercise.
